Neil Aspin previews Barnet clash

Port Vale make the trip to the Hive on Saturday afternoon to face Barnet in Sky Bet League Two, and with both sides battling to secure safety, Neil Aspin admits that it will be a match his players have to win.

Following a draw at home to Newport County last time out, the manager is hoping that the Valiants can build on that with what would be a vital set of three points.

Without a victory to their name since the turn of the year, Vale are now five points above the bottom two, so this clash will offer them an opportunity to increase that margin and pull further away from danger.

On the fixture, Aspin said: "We are not kidding anybody, we need a win straight away. Players are under pressure, I am under pressure and the whole club is at the moment because we all know how important it is to get a result.

"We have to keep doing what we believe is right and we have to keep working hard, believing that we can get a result as that would give us a lift and a bit of impetus. It could be down to one player having a really good game, one bit of inspirational play, just something that can make a difference.

"Like I have said on numerous occasions, of course we have made it a lot more difficult for ourselves, but it is still in our hands - we have to handle the pressure and get on with it."

Barnet are one of several sides in the bottom half that picked up a win last weekend, with Graham Westley's men edging out Colchester United away from home.

The Bees still remain at the foot of the table, but with just six points between them and safety, Aspin knows that it will be another difficult test whereby his players must perform to their maximum.

He said: "All of the game that we have to play are equally as difficult, but there is no game that I go into where I think that we have no chance of getting a result.

"To get that result, you need all of the factors to come into place. You need your goalkeeper to play well and the defence not to make mistakes. You need a bit of composure in midfield and you need to have a cutting edge in attack.

"I am just going to focus on us as opposed to getting caught up in what Barnet are doing because if we don't do our own job, it is irrelevant. It is in our own hands and we have to get our own game in order, to start playing well."